Muskoka Boathouse
Lake Muskoka, Ontario
Shim Sutcliffe Architects (Toronto, ON)
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This boathouse is located on the southwest shore of Lake Muskoka, in a landscape that has been defined by the pre-Cambrian granite of the Canadian Shield, mythologized by the paintings of the Group of Seven, and adorned by pioneer log cabins, ornate Victorian cottages and custom wooden boats built by local craftsmen. Like Le Corbusier’s rustic cabin in southern France and the Adirondack camps of upstate New York , the boathouse is a “sophisticated hut” in the wilderness.

The program for the boathouse includes two indoor boat slips, a covered outdoor boat slip, storage for marine equipment; a sleeping cabin with kitchenette, shower and bath area, bedroom-sitting room; and several outdoor porches and terraces, with a moss garden and local plant species.

Construction began in the winter, when the lake was still frozen. The layout of the dock was drawn on the ice to locate the cribs. Holes were cut into the ice and sleepers were laid across the holes to support the crib assembly. As each crib was completed, the ends of the sleepers were cut and the cribs were lowered through the ice to settle on the lake bed. Granite rocks were then dropped into the cribs for ballast.

This submerged structure provided the foundation for the heavy timber outer walls of the boathouse. The timbers are reclaimed industrial beams, assembled using traditional log cabin methods. This heavy, rustic exterior wraps around the intricately crafted sleeping cabin. The interior finishes combine ordinary and sophisticated features, including Douglas fir plywood cabinets and mahogany windows, all detailed to allow for settlement in the crib foundations. Victorian beadboard ceilings merge into a shaped Douglas fir ceiling in the main room of the sleeping cabin, while mahogany duckboards in the bathroom recall a typical Muskokan boat deck. The materials, spatial layers and framed views throughout the boathouse and its surroundings are experienced as a series of juxtapositions: exterior and interior, forest and lake, building and nature, tradition and innovation – characteristics of building in the modern Canadian landscape.

Jury Comments:

The architects have made a beautiful building on the border between forested land and water – a challenging site that should be almost forbidden. With its fine proportions and refined craftsmanship, the house resembles the super-designed hardwood boats that it envelops.

Markku Komonen,
(Finland)
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In this project, North American “stick” wood construction is refined to a high level of artistic expression. Care and precision are applied to every aspect of the project, including its siting. The boathouse resembles other boathouses in the Muskokas, yet is differentiated as an artful reinterpretation of the type.

Stephen Teeple, FRAIC,
(Ontario)
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